Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort

The honest review

Andaz Maui at Wailea opened in 2013 as Hyatt's design-forward boutique brand on Maui's south shore. At 290 rooms, it's about one-third the size of the Grand Wailea next door. That difference in scale is the central tradeoff: Andaz is quieter, more adult-friendly in aesthetic, and consistently uncrowded at the pool. The Grand Wailea has nine pools, a lazy river, a water elevator, and a camp program with more breadth. The right choice depends on what kind of Hawaii trip you're planning.

Mokapu Beach is Andaz's strongest geographic advantage. It sits at the southern end of Wailea's 1.5-mile beach path, which sees less foot traffic than the Grand Wailea and Four Seasons stretch to the north. Mokapu is consistently rated among Maui's calmest snorkeling beaches — protected coves with Hawaiian reef fish visible from shallow water, gentle wave action year-round. For families with kids 5-12 learning to snorkel, this is a better starting point than the more exposed beaches elsewhere in Wailea.

The four-tier infinity pool is the visual centerpiece of the property and the most-photographed feature. Cascading waterfalls connect four descending pool levels. The bottom tier is family-oriented with a dedicated kid splash zone and zero-entry entry. The upper tiers are quieter with infinity-edge views of Mokapu and the Pacific. Total wet surface is substantially smaller than the Grand Wailea, and there are no waterslides. The pool is genuinely beautiful and consistently uncrowded — but if waterpark-scale amenities are what your family wants, look elsewhere.

Andaz Pono Kids runs ages 5-12, daily from 9am to 3pm, with a Hawaiian cultural focus that stands out from generic resort programming. Sessions include ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language basics), lei-making with real native flowers rather than plastic materials, ukulele introduction, hula instruction, taro plant education connected to actual Hawaiian agriculture history, and traditional storytelling led by Native Hawaiian staff. The cultural depth is genuine — kids 8 and older engage substantively with the material rather than going through tourism motions. $85 per day with lunch.

The guest-facing Hawaiian cultural programming is one of the features that distinguishes Andaz across the entire Wailea strip. Daily open sessions in lei-making, ukulele, hula, and traditional weaving are available to all guests — not just enrolled camp kids. Parents can participate alongside their children. The Wailea Coastal Walk (1.5 miles of beachfront path connecting all major Wailea properties) makes it possible to walk to Grand Wailea's beach club or Four Seasons Maui for variety.

Dining is strong for a 290-room property. Morimoto Maui is the flagship restaurant, a collaboration with Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto and his Pacific Rim cuisine framework. Reservations for sunset seating open 60 days in advance and fill quickly. Bumbye Beach Bar handles beachfront casual lunch — an appropriate setting for a midday break with kids who don't want to change out of swimwear. Mokapu Market covers breakfast and quick lunch. Ka'ana Kitchen runs all-day Hawaiian-inspired dishes with a daily-changing menu built around local sourcing.

ʻAwili Spa has 14 treatment rooms including outdoor thatched-roof hales (cabanas) for private treatments, a hydrotherapy circuit, and couples suites. Treatments use Hawaiian-sourced ingredients — kukui nut oil, native plant compounds. The outdoor hale treatment experience is one of the distinctive offerings on Maui that the larger Grand Wailea doesn't replicate.

World of Hyatt loyalty: kids stay free in parent's room, strong points earning on the property rate, and Hyatt point redemptions at typically 30,000-45,000 points per night depending on season. The Andaz brand generally books at lower point costs than the Grand Hyatt or Park Hyatt tier.

Where it clearly loses points: kids club hours run only until 3pm (not the evening window most families want for dinner), the property has no waterslides or lazy river, and at 5 restaurants it offers less dining variety than the Grand Wailea's 8-plus. A 7-night Andaz Maui trip for a family of four with flights lands in the $11,000-$16,000 range — comparable to the Grand Wailea, though standard rooms are slightly more affordable at Andaz in some seasons.

Wailea location context: Wailea is a master-planned resort community on Maui's southwest shore. It's close to South Maui beaches (Makena, Big Beach, Little Beach are 10-15 minutes south) and a reasonable base for Road to Hana day trips (2 hours east) or Haleakalā summit visits (90 minutes up). Wailea has less wind and more consistent sun than West Maui (Kaanapali, Lahaina) due to geography. The wildfires that devastated Lahaina in August 2023 did not affect Wailea, which is on the opposite side of the island.

Morimoto Maui booking logistics: reservations open 60 days in advance through OpenTable or the resort's own dining system. Sunset slots (6-7pm) and prime weekend times fill within hours of opening. For families planning a special dinner, set a calendar reminder for exactly 60 days before your target date and book at 12:01am Hawaii Standard Time. The raw bar and tasting menu options require minimum two-person coordination — the chef's table experience is available on request for groups of 4-6 and runs $195-$250 per person.

The Wailea Coastal Walk is one of the best free amenities in all of Hawaii. A 1.5-mile paved walking and biking path along the oceanfront connects all major Wailea resorts — Andaz, Grand Wailea, Four Seasons, Fairmont Kea Lani, and Andaz — with beach access points at multiple intervals. Morning walks along the path with kids, stopping at tide pools and watching surfers, are the kind of low-cost memory-generating activity that resort stays rarely provide.